When Petty Revenge Meets Public Service: How One Ex-Employee Got Sweet Justice (and a Fatter Fine) for a Bad Boss
Sometimes, karma needs a little nudge—and sometimes, that nudge is an email with photographic evidence and a dash of pettiness. In the world of small business drama, few stories are as satisfying as watching a truly terrible boss finally get what’s coming to them. Enter one ex-sign shop employee, a heritage committee, and a “summer sale” sign that triggered a chain reaction of justice, laughter, and a whole lot of schadenfreude.
The Scene: Heritage, History, and a Wildly Inappropriate Sign
Our story opens in a city’s centuries-old “heritage zone”—the kind of place where cobblestone streets and hand-painted murals keep the past alive. It’s a district where every new sign must pass through a heritage committee’s watchful eye, all to preserve the area’s old-school charm. The process is famously thorough, but as our narrator points out, it’s “an easy process” if you know what you’re doing and care about history.
While shopping in this picturesque area, our hero spies something that makes their jaw drop: the work van of their old sign shop—yes, the very same shop where they left under less-than-friendly circumstances—parked right in front of a protected building. Even worse, the shop’s crew is actively drilling a flat sign directly into the historical façade, covering a commemorative mural in the process. That mural told the story of why the building was special; the new sign? Just a garish ad for an “old time candy shoppe” sale.
The Petty Plan: Snap, Email, and Wait
For most people, this would spark outrage. For someone with experience in the sign business—and a personal axe to grind—it was the perfect setup for some deliciously petty revenge. Our narrator, armed with both insider knowledge and a phone camera, snapped photos of the offending sign, the van (with the company’s name in full view), and the building. (“I made sure not to include the employee’s face,” they note—no need for unnecessary collateral damage.)
The next step? A detailed email to the Heritage Society, inquiring whether this installation had been approved. Of course, it hadn’t. With the evidence submitted and the ball rolling, all that was left was to wait—and maybe indulge in a little anticipatory grin.
Sweet Justice: Fines, Gossip, and Good Fridays
The payoff came quickly. The following Friday, the narrator’s new boss (at a different, much better-run sign shop) returned from lunch with the hottest gossip in town: the old sign shop had been caught red-handed, fined, and was now in serious hot water for damaging a heritage building. The narrator’s response? Just a Cheshire-cat smile and a casual reveal of the incriminating photos and email.
Commenters on Reddit were quick to celebrate this masterstroke of petty, yet principled, revenge. As u/zeitness put it, “Excellent petty revenge, and an honest public service protecting the building, all wrapped in one. Bravo.” Another commenter, u/IMAGINARIAN_photos, dubbed the narrator “Petty Crocker” for serving up justice with a side of flair.
It’s the kind of dual win that rarely comes along: standing up for history and sticking it to an old boss who, according to the narrator, was notorious for unsafe working conditions, employee turnover, and public blame games. “The ‘sign world’ is a small world, everyone knows everyone. Everyone gossips all the time,” the narrator notes, relishing the irony that the shop’s bad reputation was only getting worse.
Community Tea: Schadenfreude, Morals, and a Dash of Debate
The Reddit community had plenty to say, and the comments section was a buffet of support, laughter, and a sprinkling of concern. “It’s so nice when they provide the rope,” quipped u/CoderJoe1, capturing the universal satisfaction of watching karma play out with a little help from the culprits themselves.
Some wondered if the narrator’s new boss might see them as a potential whistleblower. But as OP clarified, “If my new boss wants to pull the same shit that the old one did, he can fire me as well. (He won’t though, he is a great guy who cares about his shop and people, and leads by example rather than barking orders).” It’s a reminder that loyalty is a two-way street—and that healthy workplaces don’t need to fear accountability.
One commenter, u/harrywwc, picked up on the new boss’s reaction, suspecting more than a little schadenfreude at play. And, of course, there was the obligatory Reddit typo-policing, prompting OP to admit: “I’m honesty surprised if that is the only typing error.”
Most notably, the community agreed this was more than just petty revenge—it was a civic good. “Those heritage committees do not mess round,” warned u/Justaguyinvegas, and u/StrictShelter971 summed it up: “They earned that petty revenge.”
Lessons in Pettiness (and Preservation)
So what’s the takeaway? Sometimes, the universe needs a helping hand—especially when bad bosses think the rules don’t apply to them. Whether you’re a fan of justice, preservation, or just a good old-fashioned tale of workplace comeuppance, this story has it all: a villainous boss, a historic mural, and a hero with a camera and a grudge.
Have you ever seen karma catch up with a bad boss—or played a part in it yourself? What’s your take: is petty revenge just sweet, or is it even sweeter when it does some good? Share your thoughts (and your best tales of workplace justice) in the comments below!
Original Reddit Post: Got my old Boss in trouble and fined.